Few doctors have a very effective technique for rib pain. Some chiropractic techniques can help.
A Tricky Problem
The rib cage has a network of muscles attached to it, attached to the spine, and attached to the limbs. The rib cage is at the core of the body, and serves as an anchor for these muscles, and serves as a moveable structure that controls respiration. The rib cage must be flexible to work properly. At the back, the ribs are attached to the spine with synovial joints and ligaments. At the front, the ribs are attached to the sternum via cartilage. The cartilage can be several inches long. So, the bony rib attaches to the cartilage rib, that attaches to the bony sternum. This structure provides support and amazing flexibility.
The attachments in front between the bone and cartilage have a lot of nerve endings, and when there is inflammation in these joints, it can be exquisitely painful. It can feel like there is literally an ice pick in your chest. What needs to happen is the right amount of movement. Not too much movement that increased irritation occurs, but not too little where the healing process is not stimulated.
There are a variety of chiropractic techniques to take pressure off of these areas. Further, there are specific exercises that you must know to properly rehabilitate these areas. don't poke into the painful area, it will only make it hurt worse and flare up the inflammation.
Better Breathing
When there is restriction of motion to the rib cage, breathing can be compromised. If you think you can take a deep breath now, you may be surprised to learn the volume of air that can be increased after a rib adjustment. We think this is helping you get more oxygen to the whole body when we get you breathing deeper. Of course this allows you to have your cells to receive more energy and increase their metabolic capacity. Every little bit helps right?
Core Stabilization
Instabilities of the ribcage can cause muscle weakness. If there is a joint out of function in the ribcage, your body has to work twice as hard to stabilize the area to use the long lever arms and legs to do voluntary activities. We have anecdotally seen increases of arm strength after rib adjustments. Athletic patients can sometimes feel that they are able to do pushups with ease whereas before the treatment, they were struggling.
What are the neurological implications of rib dysfunction? See our Blog. If you feel that any of these topics apply to you, and you are in the Santa Rosa or Sonoma area, feel free to give us a call for a free consultation.
Todd Lloyd, DC
Sonoma, can Dr. Todd help you out?
We offer a free consultation and special pricing if you tell us that you found us on the web.
Call us to schedule your appointment. Here's what you get:
- Comprehensive neurological, orthopedic, and chiropracitic examination.
- Medical report of findings.
- Differential diagnosis.
- Second opinion report for your records or for another medical provider. We will give you an action plan for recovery and better health.